jeffcrom

Nice stuff! I only failed to recognize one track from an album I own - the Noah Howard. At least I liked it. Otherwise, I think that I must have been in a mood when I responded - I was unnecessarily pissier about some tracks than I should have been. Good BFT.

Jesper Thilo/Clark Terry - Tribute to Frog (Storyville). My copy is not in great shape, but since this session has not been reissued in full, I'm keeping it. I wish folks would take care of their records when I'm going to buy them years later!

Lionel Hampton - Made in Japan (Timeless). I found a copy just a couple of days after JSngry posted about it. Incidentally, I have an autographed 45 RPM single of "Advent" (edited) on the Glad-Hamp label. I don't remember what's on the other side right now, and I'm too lazy to pull my jazz 45 box off the shelf, but I think the flip side was a studio recording, not another piece from this concert.

Two very different hunks of vinyl: The Hour Glass - Power of Love, from the 1967-1969 double LP reissue (UA). For those who are unsure, this was Duane and Gregg Allman's band before the ABB. Power of Love was recorded only a year and a half earlier than The Allman Brothers Band, but is worlds away. A few nice moments, though - I spin this one every once in awhile. Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre - Humility in the Light of the Creator (Delmark)

Ah, the last 2 pieces of that disc make up my upcoming new release: Not really on-topic for this thread (not that that's ever stopped anyone here), but I've been wanting to ask you, Chuck, about the late Charles Clark. I'm very impressed with his playing on the 1960's Chicago avant music that I've been listening to lately. Can you (or the other guys who were on the scene back then) tell us more about him - impressions, stories, etc?

I love Peg Leg Sam, so I hope you're wrong about the reissue, since I don't have a copy. Now playing: Richard Davis - Fancy Free (Galaxy). OK. Davis is one of my favorite bassists, but his own albums are often kind of disappointing. Edited to say that I shouldn't whine, since Joe Henderson absolutely smokes on this record.

I was in one of my usual record stores today and happened to mention 78s. The owner went upstairs and brought down a couple of stacks of 78 albums, from which I bought seven or eight. I cleaned and played the first three this evening: Savoy Presents Illinois Jacquet - a two-disc set from 1946 Dizzy Gillespie - The Be-Bop Man (Musicraft); four discs Baby Dodds - Drum Solos (Disc); two records, later issued on Folkways. I have the Gillespie and Dodds material on CD, but all these albums are in nice shape, and I'm glad to have them - especially since the booklet included with the Dodds album is extensive and interesting, and is not reproduced in the CD booklet. Inside the Jacquet album was a deluxe program featuring Jacquet and Sarah Vaughan, presumably from some concert tour, and a flyer for an October 9, 1949 concert at John Hancock Hall in Boston. Mary Lou Williams opened for the Lennie Tristano Sextet, whose members are listed - Konitz, Marsh, Bauer, Arnold Fishkin, and Jeff Morton. "Narration" was by Barry Ulanov and Nat Hentoff; tickets were $1.20, $1.80, and $2.40.

The Art Ensemble 1967/68 (Nessa); disc D.

I'll take Nick Travis! I have the Handy on LP and CD, and heartily recommend it.

Art Tatum - Group Masterpieces (Pablo); disc one - with Benny Carter.

George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet - City Gates (Timeless)

Willie Smith - The Best of Willie Smith (GNP Crescendo). An excellent, but oddly-named album. It's not a compilation, but a regular album, recorded over two day in 1965 (with the Watts riots in between).

Earlier today: Hank Marr - Sounds From the Marr-Ket Place (King stereo) Kenny Gill - What Is, What Was, What Will Be (Raccoon/Warner Bros.)

I know what all those words mean individually, but when put together, they don't form any concept that I can grasp.

Turk Murphy - Barrelhouse Jazz (Columbia 45 RPM double EP)

Several very cool 10" LPs: George Lewis/Freddie Kohlman - New Orleans Jazz Concert (Decca). A 1952 concert with my favorite George Lewis band - the one with Percy Humphrey on trumpet. Side two, with Freddie Kohlman's band, is kind of frantic, in spite of the presence of Willie Humphrey on clarinet. Jamming at Rudi's No. 2 (Circle). A KC-style jam session, with Hot Lips Page, Tyree Glenn, Paul Quinichette, Danny Barker, Walter Page, Sonny Greer, etc. Charlie Mariano - Modern Saxaphone Stylings (sic) (Imperial). Some of Mariano's (and Jaki Byard's) first recordings. Sidney Bechet - La Nuit est une Sorcière (London). I have Bechet's ballet on CD, but I love this mint-condition deluxe boxed edition.

After several hours of Anthony Braxton today, my ears and brain wanted something very different: George Lewis at Home (Dan). One of a series of great Japanese issues featuring otherwise unissued American Music masters.

Clare Fischer - Extension (PJ stereo)

Sorry, I meant "Grado cartridge," not "Grado headshell." It may be worth investing in one of those attachments that I mentioned, unless there are other affordable mono cartridges. Last time I checked, most of them seemed to be more expensive. Also, if you don't have a mono button on your amp, you can always buy the mono patch cords from Radio Shack and connect them between your turntable and amp. Not as convenient as a mono button but no more work than switching headshells. No, I don't have a mono button, and with my stereo cabinet, changing cords would be a hassle. And like I say, I've got the headshell change and weight adjustment down to 30 seconds. I certainly don't need a thousand-dollar cartridge with my middle-of-the-road setup, but I don't mind spending a little more than I did on the dancing Grado. I'm thnking about an AT Mono3.

And to me, an even bigger advantage to true mono playback is that it centers surface noise so that it is less intrusive. When you're playing an old LP that's in less than pristine condition, you don't have pops and crackles coming at you from the left and right channels. TTK, thanks for the info on the Grado Dance - that seems to be the problem. Although I'm not using a Grado headshell, my Grado cartridge is over a gram lighter than my Ortofon stereo cart. Unfortunately, none of the possible solutions I came across did any good - even your penny! I'm probably going to get a new mono cartridge. In the meantime, I'll just play those problem records with the stereo cartridge.

I listened to a few LF titles at my local store and found the music fairly wooden. It was pleasant enough but sounded highly arranged. I don't recall which titles, they had a whole run of 78s all in near mint condition. I bought a Wilbur Sweatman disc instead. I can understand your reaction, especially if you heard some of the Columbia sides. Columbia had the band play mostly pop songs in medleys, with several songs crammed into three minutes. The Emerson records are better - mostly originals by the band, and not in medley form, so the they get to stretch out a little more. Still, it's not a "hip" band, except for Alcide "Yellow" Nunez's New Orleans clarinet - he's the reason I listen to the band. He doesn't do much flat-out improvising, but loosens up nicely and plays some nice embellishments toward the end of most of the Emersons.

Aretha Franklin - Soul Sister (Columbia 2-eye stereo). I had never checked out Aretha's Columbia output, but I found this in the dollar bin in a local record store. Better than I expected - the arrangements and some of the tunes are regrettable, but it's still Aretha.

Bunky Green - Places We've Never Been (Vanguard). Damn!

I'm hoping that someone can help me - I don't know what's causing this problem, and obviously don't have any idea how to fix it. A little over a year ago I bought a Grado M+ mono cartridge to play my mono records with. I have two headshells, and can switch them out and adjust the tracking weight in about 30 seconds. Having the mono cart has greatly enhanced my enjoyment when it comes to spinning mono records - most of the time. But I have some records - about a dozen - that don't track well with the mono cartridge at all. Particularly near the outside of the record, the cartridge will shake and skip grooves. The problem is worse during softer passages. The same records track just fine with my stereo cartridge. Increasing the tracking weight helps some, but on some records does not eliminate the problem. I can't find any helpful information about this problem on the web. Any ideas about what's causing this and what I can do about it?

Early-ish New Orleans musicians: Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra - Four or Five Times/Every Evening (Vocalion, 1928). This is a pretty worn record, and of course I have these sides on CD, but it's cool to play (or to just hold) an original pressing of this record. It gives me a feeling of connection to the early days of jazz that I don't get from putting a CD in the slot. Louisiana Five - Orange Blossom Rag/Heart-Sickness Blues (Emerson 9", 1918/19) Louisiana Five - Church Street Sobbin' Blues/Yama Yama Bleus (Emerson 9", 1919) Louisiana Five - Ringtail Blues/Blues (My Naughty Sweetie Gave to Me (Emerson, 1919) Louisiana Five - Virginia Blues/Lead Me to It (Emerson, 1919) The Louisiana Five is one of those bands I've really come to love since starting to collect 78s. "Virginia Blues/Lead Me to It" is my new find. Original Creole Stompers - Eh, La-Bas!/Some of These Days (American Music, 1949) Original Creole Stompers - B-Flat Blues/Baby Won't You Please Come Home (American Music, 1949) The Stompers included Herb Morand, Albert Burbank, and Johnny St. Cyr. There are a handful of AM sides which were never reissued in any form, usually because the LP/CD issues used another take. "Eh, La-Bas!" is the last of those 78-only recordings I didn't have. This take of "B-Flat Blues" is also a rare one - it has only been reissued on the CD that came with the Bill Russell's American Music book.